BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers are considering whether to shorten the wait for divorces when the couple has children under 18.

Currently, such couples have to live apart one year before they can get a divorce, unless there are special circumstances like domestic abuse.

A proposal advanced to the full House for debate Tuesday would shorten that wait period to six months. That would match the 180-day wait allowed for childless couples and couples with children 18 and older.

Supporters of the longer wait period say it gives couples more time to reconsider.

Those seeking to shorten the wait time said the extra six months, enacted a decade ago, hasn't don't anything except increase the time that couples bicker and boost the money paid to divorce lawyers.